Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden may look serene at first glance, but beneath the resplendent orchids and majestic banyans, two invasive lizards are waging a turf war.

The war started a few years ago when Cuban brown anoles, who have called South Florida home for about 100 years, came face to face for the first time with a new rival: crested anoles from Puerto Rico.

As the two species, which look almost identical and occupy the same ecological niche, faced off, biologists were able to document who was winning, and more importantly, how quickly the losers were adapting to survive on new turf.

A new study published in Nature Communications by researchers, including School of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor James Stroud, reveals that the losing species is adapting at a rapid pace, changing their behavior, but also their bodies. This fast adaptation is altering what we know about how evolution works.

Have you ever noticed how a particular song can bring back a flood of memories? Maybe it’s the tune that was playing during your first dance, or the anthem of a memorable road trip. People often think of these musical memories as fixed snapshots of the past. But recent research suggests music may do more than just trigger memories – it might even change how you remember them.

In this article, Ph.D. student in the School of Psychology Yiren Ren discusses recently published research, which has uncovered intriguing connections between music, emotion, and memory. 

(This story also appeared at The Washington Post.)

Environmental journalist and author Ben Goldfarb reveals the story of how one biologist spread a non-native species of lizard across the Northeast. According to Goldfarb, Queens College professor of biology Jon Sperling secretly captured, bred, and released Italian wall lizards for many years. 

“Regardless of how much you love lizards—and I love lizards a lot—you can’t do that,” says James Stroud, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences. “They are incredible organisms to watch, and they’re beautiful. I can understand his perspective, but I can’t agree with his actions.”